Emiliano Martinez is known as one of the most effective players in the Premier League at time-wasting, as the Aston Villa goalkeeper often holds onto the ball for long periods to wind down the clock.
Most of the time it can pay off to keep opponents at bay in the closing stages of matches, though sometimes it can have the opposite effect.
Villa’s 4-2 home defeat to Arsenal earlier in the season is a perfect example of it going badly as Martinez took a while for every goal kick with the score at 2-2 for most of the second half.
Then, however, the Gunners grabbed two goals in injury time to seal a victory. Had Martinez not wasted so much time originally, Villa would have had longer to mount a comeback.
When it works, time-wasting is one of those dark arts that you love to see from your own team but hate to see from others – a bit like having a player who torments opponents, you could argue.
But how do Villa’s time-wasting figures compare to the rest of the Premier League, including the likes of Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion?
We’ve taken a look at data provided by OPTA on the average time it takes each team to restart play from a goal-kick – and there are some astonishing figures.
(note: data correct at time of writing)
1. Liverpool
An average goal kick takes the Reds 21.5 seconds (Opta) | AFP via Getty Images
2. Manchester City
An average goal kick takes City 24.1 seconds (Opta) | Getty Images
3. Leicester City
An average goal kick takes the Foxes 24.6 seconds (Opta) | Getty Images
4. Brighton & Hove Albion
An average goal kick takes the Seagulls 26.1 seconds (Opta) | Getty Images